When I got back to Rebekah and Phil's we did the little intro thing and then they took me to a delicious buddhist vegan restaurant where Rebekah was exchanging english teaching for cooking lessons. The dinner was beyond great, and having only really had meat the previous week, this was a welcomed change. The owner also ended up comping our meal, something that my budget really enjoyed.
The next day was the 13th, my 30th birthday and the mark of my 2nd months stay in Korea (arrived on 3/13). I decided to have a nice and relaxing day and headed to Sanbangsan, a 2 hours bus ride away.
"The Sanbangsa Temple and also the Bomunsa Temple, which holds the relics of Buddha, are also located on the mountain. Walk along the stone-steps between the two temples and you will find the Sanbanggulsa Grotto. A Yeondae signal beacon called stands tall in front of the road at the base of the mountain, which in the past used fire and smoke to relay urgent messages. Regarding function, it is similar to the more well-known Bongsudae signal beacons; but the Yeondae beacons were built around hilly or coastal areas while the Bongsudae beacons were built on mountain tops. During the daytime, smoke was used to send warning signals, while fire was used at night."
Once arriving at the temple I walked around the area and then headed up to the Buddha cave. I decided to do my daly mala practice in front of the buddha and sat on a mat at the base of the stairs and sutra'd away. I know, sort of new age and what not, but I figured it'd be a nice way to celebrate me and 30.
Sanbangsan and the giant golden buddha from the distance.
sanbangsan from below
giant golden buddha
the cave where the stone buddha is
the stone buddha up close
inside one of the temples was this room of many buddhas
After heading back home I laid out my yoga mat to do some self practice, I hadn't done any while on the farm and I knew it would be a welcomed and needed addition to the day. Indeed it was. I then headed out to capoeira class with Rebekah. Phil and her lead a class on mondays and thursdays and invited me to come. I'd seen it done many times but never taken part, but I was intrigued so went along. It was awesome! A super great time and I can't wait to do more.
The next morning I woke a little later than usual and gathered my things together to head out back to mainland. I decided to stop by a big open air market to find a type of food I had heard about called bingdokk. they are a buckwheat crepe rolled with cabbage inside. Holy shit!! it was incredibly tasty. I bought 2, took a bite out of 1 and then bought 2 more. I also bought some food for the ferry ride.
my lunch of kimchi, a fermented garlic and garlic shoot dish and ddukkbokki. yummers
another reason i love asian markets. though the smell of disgusting fish and ferments gone sour was everywhere.
and then i got on my ferry and proceeded to continue on with a long day of travel to get to my next destination, back to Hwasun with Mr Kim. hoorah!
The ferry ride back home, it was majestically pretty. Islands, clear water and people who can't speak to me.
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